The spear is symbolic of devotion to honor as well as a defense against the darker forces. St. George is often seen brandishing a spear as he slays the dragon. In the Retable of Thouson, the Master of Thouson (c. 1410) (See: Figure 149) depicts St. Sebastian, in princely garb, holds a spear in his right hand as he attacks a dragon, in his right hand he holds the hilt of a sword and a dagger is suspended from his belt.

Physical Representation

St. Sebastian's age as portrayed through the centuries varies considerably. He may be depicted as a youth, a young adult, a mature male or a man who may be considered in his late maturity just before old age. If one interprets the early records of the martyr-saint's life and death, then one could easily surmise that St. Sebastian was in his early maturity when he was first condemned--i.e., mid 20's to early 30's. Certainly a number of portrayals seem to show the martyr-saint within this range. But the portrayals vary considerably.

Adolescent

In 1892 (See: Figure 192) and again in 1894 (See: Figure 193) for the Danish journal Taarnet, Jan Verkade provided us with an obviously adolescent St Sebastian. He seems to represent not only "Uranian love" that became fashionable if not open in the last part of the XIXth Century, but also the preference for adolescent boys. In this he appears to parallel the subjects of Wilhelm von Gloeden (1900) (See: Figure 194), Wilhelm von Pluschow (1900) (See: Figure 195) and Elisàr von Kupffer (1925) (See: Figure 196). The predilection to use adolescent boys as models for St. Sebastian was not widespread and found some favor in the latter part of the XIX^th and early XX^th Centuries.